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18 22 Reflections on Extreme Living

10 How to Develop Spiritual Eyes

John & Margaret Lewis Mission to Alaska

The Loop SMOKEY POINT COMMUNITY CHURCH | MARCH/APRIL 2013

Meaningful Words Pastor Mike Satterfield shares the intentional nature of God’s Word

Path of Grace An article from Dr. Tim Kimmel’s book Grace Based Parenting

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DEPARTMENTS In The Loop | Summer Camp Schedule | Easter & Good

Friday | Baptism

Ministry News MOPS Benefit Auction | Life Group

Resources | SALT & LIGHT

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FEATURES

Parenting Seminar A short segment from Dr. Tim Kimmel’s book Grace Based Parenting

Meaningful Words Pastor Mike shares his thoughts on the most meaningful words

Foster Adoption Ministry Learn 7 things that help make a marriage relationship healthy.

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CONTENTS In This Edition

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T he hill is quiet now. Not still but quiet. For the first time all day there is no noise. The clamor began to subside when the darkness—that puzzling midday darkness—fell. Like water douses a fire, the shad-ows doused the ridicule. No more taunts. No more jokes. No more

jesting. And, in time, no more mockers. One by one the onlookers turned and began the descent. That is, all the onlookers except you and me. We did not leave. We came to learn. And so we lingered in the semidarkness and listened. We lis-tened to the soldiers cursing, the passersby questioning, and the women weeping. But most of all, we listened to the trio of dying men groaning. Hoarse, guttural, thirsty groans. They groaned with each rolling of the head and each pivot of the legs. But as the minutes became hours, these groans diminished. The three seemed dead. Were it not for the belabored breathing, you would have thought they were. Then he screamed. As if someone had yanked his hair, the back of his head slammed against the sign that bore his name, and he screamed. Like a dagger cuts the curtain, his scream cut the dark. Standing as straight as the nails would permit, he cried as one calling for a lost friend, “Eloi!” His voice was raspy, scratchy. Reflections of the torch flame danced in his wide eyes. “My God!” Ignoring the volcano of erupting pain, he pushed upward until his shoul-ders were higher than his nailed hands. “Why have you forsaken me?” The soldiers stared. The weeping of the women ceased. One of the Phari-sees sneered sarcastically, “He’s calling Elijah.” No one laughed. He’d shouted a question to the heavens, and you half expected heaven to shout one in return. And apparently it did. For the face of Jesus softened, and an afternoon dawn broke as he spoke a final time. “It is finished. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” As he gave his final breath, the earth gave a sudden stir. A rock rolled, and a soldier stumbled. Then, as suddenly as the silence was broken, the silence returned. And now all is quiet. The mocking has ceased. There is no one to mock. The soldiers are busy with the business of cleaning up the dead. Two men have come. Dressed well and meaning well, they are given the body of Jesus.

Max Lucado

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

The Loop is the newsletter of Smokey Point Community Church. To obtain your copy, pick one up in the church Lobby. You may also view The Loop online at our web site. To learn more about Smokey Point Community Church, visit our web site at smokeypointcommunitychurch.org, or stop by the Guest Services Desk in the Lobby. Send Loop questions, comments to [email protected].


April 12 MOPS Auction

Mark your calendar for the annual MOPS auction! There will be a silent and live auction, along with the famous auctioneers — dressed for the party as usual! This years theme is Pirates, so get ready for a great time of having fun with your friends and raising money for this great ministry! The auction will take place on Friday, April 12 at 5:30 PM. Tickets will be available at the Event Center beginning two weekends before the event. Turn to page 16 for more information.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS “Grace Based Parenting” Seminar

Take part in a parenting study by one of today’s leading family experts. Based on the award-winning book by Dr. Tim

Kimmel, Grace Based Parenting is a fun, fast-paced, biblical study that will give every parent what they need to make the

most of their incredible opportunity of preparing their kids for a great future. Grace Based Parenting will give every parent a

fresh hope and the tools to create an environment in their home where everyone is reaching their potential. The result –

spiritually strong children who grow up with a sense of calm and a heart full of purpose and confidence. Join us here at

SPCC for this special seminar on the weekend of May 3 & 4!

Friday May 3rd 6-8:30PM Saturday May 4th 9AM-3PM

$20.00 per Individual $35.00 per Couple

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR Baptism Class

If you’re interested in being baptized, now is a great time to seriously consider it! Baptisms will take place on Easter weekend, an appropriate day to “die & be raised with Christ.” In order to be baptized, you must attend the baptism class that will be held on Sunday, March 10 during second service in room D101. The children will attend their own class in the Children’s Chapel during the first service and they must have one parent attend with them. If you have questions about baptism, feel free to contact the church office at 360.659.2844.

Did you

Know?

WELL SAID

Did you know all of SPCC’s sermon audios are posted online? Go to www.smokeypointcommunitychurch.org>Resources and you’ll find sermons to download to your MP3 player or burn to a disc!

UPCOMING

Easter & Good Friday Service Times

Easter is quickly approaching—here are the service times for the weekend. Be sure to invite your friends & neighbors! Good Friday Friday March 29 7PM Easter Saturday March 30 5PM, 6:45PM Sunday March 31 9AM, 10:45AM

MARK YOU CALENDAR Summer Camp Schedule

Here are the dates for the children’s and student camps SPCC will be participating in this summer. Now is a great time to get these on the calendar so you can be sure to schedule other events and vacations around them. Children’s Ministry CAMA Camp—for those entering 4th or 5th grade in the fall of 2013 Dates: August 4-10 (See page 12 for more information) Student Ministries Jr. High—for those entering 6th—8th grade in the fall of 2013 Black Lake Summer Camp Dates: July 7-13 Sr. High—for those entering 9th—12th grade in the fall of 2013 Black Lake Summer Camp Dates: July 21-27

“The tomb of Christ is famous because of what it does not contain.” Sam Morris


PATH OF GRACE

An article from Dr. Tim Kimmel’s book “Grace Based Parenting”

“I’m urging you to raise your children how God raises His. The primary word that defines how God deals with His children is grace. Grace does not exclude obedience, respect, boundaries, or discipline, but it does determine the climate in which these important parts of parenting are carried out. You may be weird and quirky, but God loves you though His grace with all of your weirdness and quirkiness. You may feel extremely inadequate and fragile in key areas of your life, but God comes alongside you in those very areas of weakness and carries you through with His grace. You may be frustrated, hurt, and even angry with God, but His grace allows you to candidly, confidently, and boldly approach His “throne of grace.” His grace is there for you when you fail, when you fall, and when you make huge mistakes. This kind of grace makes all the difference in the world when it’s coming from God, through you, to your children. Children brought up in homes where they are free to be different, vulnerable, candid, and to make mistakes learn firsthand what the genuine love of God looks like. Grace frees you to take your cues from God on all the big decisions you face in raising your kids. One

of the characteristics of God’s grace is how much latitude He grants within His clear moral boundaries to make choices. Grace allows you to tailor your parenting style and decisions to the unique bent of your child. God is a God of variety, and He deals with us accordingly. Take zebras. God hasn’t painted the same stripes on any of them. Every person’s fingerprints are original. He hasn’t let two snowflakes drop from the sky that were identical. He hasn’t painted any two sunsets the same. He’s an original God who wants to have an original relationship with you and your children.

You may be frustrated, hurt, and even angry with God, but His grace allows you to candidly, confidently, and boldly approach His “throne of grace.” His grace is there for you when you fail, when you fall, and when you make huge mistakes.

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M eaningful words…that phrase seems a bit redundant. Words have meaning. Those who claim that words are meaningless ignorantly saw off the very branch they’re sitting on as they must

employ words to express the idea that words have no meaning. Maybe, instead of “meaningful” words, what we mean by this is meaning-filled words. Truly, words can be careless and wasted, and at times spoken with such indifference that their meaning is missed altogether. Such cannot be said of Jesus and His Words. They cut and pierce like knives, like the blades of a surgeon. Can there be any doubt to the truth of Hebrews 4:12? God’s word is a double-edged sword that cuts and divides and gets at the heart. God’s words came to the prophet Ezekiel:

“And the LORD said to him, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men

who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.” And to the others he said in my hearing, “Pass through the city after him, and strike. Your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity. Kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one on whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the house.” (Ezekiel 9:4-6 ESV) God sent angelic executioners to put to death those who were not broken over sin, and who had not received God’s mark. The Hebrew word translated “mark” is “tav,” so God was actually telling Ezekiel to put a “tav” on the foreheads of those who were broken over the rampant sin going on. In those days, the “tav” looked like this:

Looks familiar, doesn’t it? But there’s more… In Hebrew shorthand, “tav” was the mark commonly denoting the word “Torah,” which means teaching. It’s a common mistranslation to refer to “Torah” as “law.” It actually means “instruction” or “teaching.” Remembering that Hebrew reads right-to-left, here is “Torah” in modern Hebrew:

That probably doesn’t mean much to you. But check it out in ancient Hebrew, which was a more picture-based form of writing:

Remember to go from right to left. The first letter is “tav,” or a cross. It is the first letter in “Torah” and it is the mark Ezekiel was commanded to place on the heads of the people. The next letter is “vav” which looks like a nail piercing something, and it means “to attach.” The third letter is “reysh,” and it looks like a head. It means “the highest person.” The last letter is “hey” and it is a window revealing something. The meaning of a word in Hebrew does not always follow the order sequence of the letters or characters. In fact, often it’s a compilation of those meanings. In this case, it’s the reverse order from the Hebrew characters, so let’s go back and take that from left to right. The meaning of Torah is: To Reveal / The Highest Person / Nailed To / The Sign Of The Covenant God is so good… Lenin once claimed that under Communism there would be bread in every household in Russia. But Lenin could never say, “I am the Bread of Life, and he that comes to me will never hunger, and he that believes on me shall never thirst.” Buddha taught the path to “enlightenment,” but he died still seeking more light. He never said, “I am the light of the world, he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Sigmund Freud believed psychotherapy would heal all emotional and spiritual pain. But he could never say, “Peace be with you. My peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give it unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, and do not let it be afraid.” Jesus alone is the LOGOS – the Word made flesh, fulfilling Torah. That body broken for us just as the veil in the Temple was torn in two, making a way to the Most Holy Place and God’s presence. His precious, priceless blood poured out for our sins. The Word of Life giving us the words of life…meaningful words…meaning-filled words. And we are grateful.

Pastor Mike Satterfield

“

The meaning of Torah is: To Reveal / The Highest Person / Nailed To / The Sign Of The Covenant. God is so good…

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Do you attend SPCC? Then you’re a part of the FAM, the Foster and Adoption Ministry. FAM is a new community outreach ministry, just beginning at our church. Perhaps you’re thinking… “There are lots of places we could use our time and energy as a church. Why would we focus on this particular one?” Let us answer that question in a few ways. First, caring for children in need of a family is God’s call on His people. Not only is it God’s general call to believers; it is His specific call to SPCC. When we pray, God hears and answers. For over two years, there have been people praying for our church to rise to God’s call of God on behalf of orphans. Pastor Tim heard the call on his heart to take up this ministry from God’s Word. James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” Bold words printed on the walls of our

auditorium remind us of the vision of SPCC. Love God and Love People--Celebrating the supremacy of Jesus Christ and leading people into a growing relationship with Him. If we desire to show the love of God to our community, but we don’t care for the needy and defenseless, we

miss God’s heart. As a church, our motivation for supporting a ministry like FAM should spring from a spiritual reality – that we were once orphans too. As Christians, we should relate to children who need a family. All of us were spiritual orphans, lost and without a home; but, our loving Heavenly

Father reached down and hand pick each one of us to be in His family. In Christ, God sacrificed more to rescue and adopt us than we can imagine. Our responsibility as His children is to spread His light and hope among those with little or no hope; to bring value and healing to those

who often feel worthless and damaged. The goal of FAM is to support to those who are serving God by reaching out to orphans through fostering or adoption. We want to increase our church’s involvement in helping needy children in our community by communicating the

FOSTER ADOPTION MINISTRY

OUR FOSTER ADOPTION MINISTY HAS TAKEN OFF! READ HERE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THIS MINISTRY FROM ONE OF OUR OWN WHO HAS FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE IN THE WORLD OF FOSTER CARE.

“Bold words printed on the walls of our auditorium remind us of the vision of SPCC. Love God and Love People--Celebrating the supremacy of Jesus Christ and leading people into a growing relationship with Him.”


serving opportunities available for people and pointing them to available resources in the community. We also desire to connect those within our church who are experienced in fostering or adoption to create a network of support and encouragement. We want to host regular, practical educational and support opportunities for foster and adoption ministry. For example, we have invited a monthly support group through “Fostering Together” to meet at our church. They will meet the 4th Friday of every month at 5:30 for a potluck dinner and have a training time that counts as training hours for licensed foster parents. This meeting is open to foster or adoptive parents and will provide information on different topics, such as handling special needs kids, coping with grief and separation, or just a social worker forum. One tangible opportunity for our church to serve is The Appreciation Project (T.A.P.). This is a simple outreach to the Smokey Point DSHS office, located just down the street from the church. We would like to bring goodies to the office workers at DSHS once a month. If we can get enough people involved, this responsibility might be yours once a year or less. Doing something like this may seem small; but it is such an encouragement and testimony to these often unappreciated workers who help care for the needy children of our community. We hope to see SPCC champion the cause of needy children in our immediate community and around the world. FAM hopes to help you recognize where you and your family fit in supporting children in need of a family – as a foster family,

adoptive family, a tangible needs support, or a prayer support for people who care for orphans. We can all help in some way. God makes a big deal about His people stepping up to care for defenseless children, and our obedience to His call shines as a light to the world. Children have a chance to know

their Heavenly Father, families are transformed to be more like Christ, and God is glorified. You may already be part of God’s family, but we’d also like to welcome you to the FAM!

Fostering Together Support Group

March 22nd, 2013

5:30 PM Potluck Dinner

6:00 PM Training

Meetings will continue on the 4th Friday of each

month

(Childcare starts at 6 PM)

INTERESTED IN EXPLORING FOSTER CARE? If God is stirring your heart regarding helping children in our community that need of a supportive family, please consider

attending the Orientation for Potential Foster Parents meeting at the Smokey Point DCFS office, 3906 172nd St. N.E., Arlington, on

4/10/13. The meeting will be held from 1:00PM-4:00PM in their first floor Community Room.

Pre-registration is required. Call Kathy Caling 360-651-6929 or Alicia Azurin 425-651-6947 to register.

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Date: August 4th – 10th For: Elementary Students entering 4th or 5th grade in Fall of 2013 (Older Students from SPCC are asked to attend Jr. High Camp). Register online at: www.camacamp.org or pick-up a registration form in the elementary classrooms here at SPCC. Parents… Your camper will have a week of Great Fun, Christian Friends, Intentional Discipleship, and a Life Impacting experi-ence. Pastor Duane is the Camp Director, he loves to talk about C.A.M.A. Camp so feel free to ask him any questions you might have. (Some scholarship money is available for campers who need assistance)

Mark your calendars for cama camp

For Students Entering 4th—5th Grade in the Fall of 2013

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YOU’RE INVITED: SPCC and Special Needs Ministry, In His Image, hosts the Sixth Annual In His Image Celebration Banquet Friday, March 15 | 6:30pm to 8:30pm | SPCC Auditorium.


SPCC and Special Needs Ministry, In His Image, hosts the Sixth Annual In His Image Celebration Banquet Friday, March 15 | 6:30pm to 8:30pm | SPCC Auditorium.

Join the fun as we celebrate our differences and

serve those of us in our community with special

needs, their family members, or caregivers. If you

have not yet signed up for your opportunity to be

blessed by serving our friends, call any team

member below.

IHI Leadership & Celebration Banquet Coordinators:

Sue Robinson 360.631.6690

Sharon Milan 360.548.3736

Lindy Couch 425.418.8699

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A time to serve, a time to come, a time to bring, and a time to PRAISE!!!

Serving at VBS is so much fun! Go Fish have provided us with everything we need to create a PRAISE atmosphere and the whole point of PRAISE is to show kids that they

exist not for their own glory, but to give God praise! In a fun way, we hope to show

kids what it means to have a high view of our amazing God. We want them to get down

and lift God high!

Come as a family and bring the neighbors! Kids will constantly be

reminded that at VBS the words “get down” mean a lot more than just busting a move!

It’s a way of remembering our place compared to a holy, righteous God.

As is typical in a Go Fish project, music will

play a huge role in the theme, teaching, and worship times.

Its going to be amazing! Serve with us, come as a family, and bring friends! Share PRAISE

with our community!

Be checking Facebook for the SPCC VBS page, coming soon!

For more information about how you can serve at this Summer’s PRAISE VBS contact Ms. Diona at ext 2230 or [email protected] or Pastor Duane at ext 2226 or

[email protected]

Get ready for vbs!

Mark your calendars for July 16-20, 2012 this summer’s GOTTA MOVE! Vacation Bible School


As teachers at Little Light Preschool, we have the blessed opportunity to use our words to impact the lives of our students. Words that encourage give children a sense of belonging, of feeling loved and accepted, of accomplishment. Teaching them about Jesus and the significance of His words for them, opens their hearts and minds to the realization of their need for

Jesus, His forgiveness and His love for them. Sitting at rainbow time a few weeks ago I had a little girl raise her hand and say…”Mrs. Camp, I love Jesus and He loves Me.” Words…. important, wonderful, meaningful words! If you have a preschooler or know of a family with preschool aged children, informational brochures are in the church foyer to sign up

for fall classes. Registration packets can be picked up in the church office or you can contact Lavaun Camp at (360) 659-2844. Detailed information can also be found on the church website.

LITTLE LIGHT PRESCHOOL

PRESCHOOL REGISTRATION BEGAN MARCH 1ST

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Did you know that in the past year there has been almost 100,000 moms connected in a MOPS community and there are

3,694 MOPS groups in approximately 27 countries around the world. Impressive numbers for its humble start in 1973 for

eight women hanging out in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

If you have not heard of MOPS, we are a thriving ministry here at Smokey Point that exists to encourage, equip and develop

every mother of Preschoolers to realize her potential as a women, a mother and a leader in the name of Jesus Christ. We

currently have 60 moms and 135 kids. MOPS is an outreach program designed for mothers and children, infant through

kindergarten. While moms build relationships, learn about parenting and other life skills, and about God’s love for them,

the children are being nurtured in their own program.

Swords, sand, spaghetti and stuff sounds like a normal day in the life of a mom; these items will be transforming one night

into amazing fun, fellowship and FUNDRAISING!! Join us April 12th for the 6th annual MOPS AUCTION!

You will have the opportunity to be the "super hero" by getting donations, helping set up, and bringing your friends and

family to the auction to show them what a great ministry we all have the privilege to be a part of.

The theme this year is Pirates… Shipwrecked is how we feel most days so that should make

it easy to find a costume! The festivities start at 5:30pm with the silent auction, with the

family style dinner of spaghetti, salad, breadsticks, marinara and fettuccini alfredo being

served at 6:45pm.

We are currently looking to "borrow" donations of fishing nets, an old wood fishing

boat or two, nautical decor, seashells, and anything else you think would fit for our

theme. Our goal is to get 30 live auction items and 350 silent auction items. We

have about 9 live and 40 silent so far… so we still NEED donations for both

portions of the auction. Donation forms and letters are available EVERY

Tuesday.

Start passing the word!!! This is a community event and it’s open to anyone who

wants to purchase the $10.00 ticket. We need bidders to help make our auction

successful! This event funds our operating budget for the whole year and allows us to

fund our Young MOPS program as well.

Location: Smokey Point Community Church

When: Friday, April 12 at 5:30 PM

Admission: $10.00 which includes a full dinner and your auction paddle number.

Tickets will be on sale the weekend of March 30/31 & April 6/7 and through the church office. Childcare will not be

provided. Only checks and cash are accepted for the event.

Check out the MOPS or SPCC Facebook pages for a list of items that will be updated daily. We thank you in advance for

supporting MOPS and this ministry that has the ability to change many lives in the name of Jesus Christ. Please call Stacy

Anderson (425.760.8034) if you have any questions.

MOPS Dinner Auction


Life groups

RESOURCES LIBRARY

The Life Group calendar is available to download at smokeypointcommunitychurch. org>Life Groups>Life Group Calendar.

CALENDAR

The online resources page for Life Groups has recently been revamped! Visit SPCC’s website and go to Get Connected>Life Groups>Life Group Library to find a list of categories with recommended resources. If you find one your group is interested in, be sure to contact Pastor Tim before you order. If you would prefer to look at the resources before ordering, stop by the church during office hours Monday-Thursday or during services and take a look at the Life Group library in the A208.

JOIN A LIFEGROUP!

If you’re a regular attender at SPCC and have yet to join a Life Group, now is the perfect time to get connected! During the next several months, leadership at SPCC will be working to start several new Life Groups, making plenty of space available for everyone. For more information, contact Pastor Tim at the church office: 360.659.2844.

Join us once again for our yearly evangelism training class. This is not a class about using tracts or particular tools, instead you will learn about how to share your faith in a relational way with your friends and family.

SALT & light

EVANGELISM IN THE MAKING

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E L D E R B O A R D 3 Y E A R T E R M

Tyler Quick

Don Andrews

Mark Milan

Jay Guthrie

Laurie Bisset (Secretary) Steve Edin (Treasurer)

G O V E R N I N G B O A R D 2 Y E A R T E R M

Bob Walker

Lisa Harding Anthony DuRyea

Rob McCrorie

G O V E R N I N G B O A R D 1 Y E A R T E R M


Here are the final results from the Annual Meeting. Here is your 2013-2014 leadership team.

Nancy Rusher

D E A C O N S

Boe Knaus John Jones

Terry Allen James Adams

1 Y E A R T E R M D E A C O N E S S

James Ragonesi Jon Senn

Cathy Apgar Tamara Mattson

Laurie Schmidt

Joni Jessup Chuck Smith

N O M I N A T I N G C O M M I T T E E 1 Y E A R T E R M

Brenda Ulinski (Alternate)

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LOOKING

A H E A D

Preschool Registration March 1

Salt & Light Class March 9

Baptism Class March 10

Daylight Savings Time March 10

In His Image Banquet March 15

Women’s Retreat March 22-24

Good Friday March 29

Easter March 30-31

MOPS Auction April 12

Can’t remember that class date and time? No worries. For the most current info, our

website, smokeypointcommuitychurch.org is the place to go. Listen to a sermon, send

a prayer request, read articles, and more….


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